Brickmaking-machine.



J. A. DUNNING.

BRIGKMAKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILE JULY 12. 1909.

1,025,1 33. Patented May 7, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J. A. DUNNING.

BRICKMAKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED J LY 12. 1909.

Patented May 7, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. g. 7.

JAMES A. DUNNING, OF AULANDER, NORTH CAROLINA.

BBICKMAKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Application filed July 12, 1909. Serial No. 507,226.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. DUNNING. a citizen of the United States, resident of Aulander, in the county of Bertie and State of North Carolina, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Brickmaking- Machines, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use. the invention, reference being had to or figures o the accompan ing drawings, and to letters reference marked thereon,

- which form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a central section of the invention, as applied. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the die. Fig. 3 is a rear view of the same. Fig. 4 is a central section of the same on a larger scale. Fig. 5 is a similar view of. the central portion of the die on a still larger scale. F1 6 is a front view of the invention as a pied to a machine for formin h'ollow cy inder products, showing the cy inder' product, as emerging therefrom. Fig. 7 is a central section of the same. Fig. 8 is a rear view of the die for the same. Fig. 9 is a rear view of the'die for forming tubular products of square cross section. Fig. 10 is a central section of thesame. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the core-piece die for the same.

This invention has relation to brick, tile, hollow-block,. pipe and other machines for forming plastic material into special shapes by forcing the material, such as wet clay, sand and lime, sand and cement, or other moist plastic material throu h an orifice or die, and having for its object the improvement of said die.

The particular cause of ineflicieney common to such machines is the inequality of flow of the mass of lastic material in its passage through the ie, resulting from the unequal friction lengthwise the direction of flow, in machines furnishing a rectan ular or polygonal column of material, an dependin in degree upon the departure in shape om the circular form, and similarly affecting both inner and outer surfaces of a tubular column of plastic material; while transversely of the direction of flow there of materiah in all cases, by reason of the friction between the surfaces of the moving plastic material and the stationary die, the part of the emerging column against which least frictional resistance is exerted being farthest removed from the contacting sur-' faces of the die ,and the plastic material.- Because of theseinequalities of flow the less plastic clays or other less tenacious materials are not successfully worked inasmuch as they require a larger proportion of water in the mass to render them sufficiently plastic, such addition of water rendering them too soft and tender to withstand the frictional inequalities before mentioned, so

Patented May 7, 1912.

I is likewise inequality of fiow in the mass that the material passes through the die im perfectly formed; while even the extremely plastic materials have to be worked excessively stiff to obtain complete and continuous conformation to the shape of the die, thereby requiring much more power to operate and resulting in greater laminationof product by reason of lack of suflicient moisture in' the material to secure an eflicient binding of the particles. products from such die machines as are in general use are of unequal density and generally inferior in relation to quality, lamination and early disintegration; excessive loss from breakage both while passing throu h the various stages of manufacture and a ter the product is finished being esge- The resulting device I), and the plate die 0. This die is, I

with the object of overcoming the disadvantages before stated, provided with an 0 ening having converging side walls 0', c, in line with and forming continuations of'the side walls of said throat, said die havin also an inward extending endless marginzfi lip surrounding the opemng of the die and having inner walls (2", d", of a convergence greater than the convergence of said side walls of the die opening and having an endless concave wall juncture d, therewith gradually merging thereinto, this lip being located at the line of emergence and having its greatest inward extension and its greatest compressive act-ion upon the material being worked at the marginal or final point or line of contact. The depth or comparative prominence of this lip in forms of rectangular or polygonal cross-section should be greatest at corners as at e, and less at points farthest removed from corners as at f, while in forms of circular cross-section it should be of the same degree of prominence around the entire circumference, as indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. For cylindrical tubular forms the core for forming the inner tubular surface, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings, is likewise provided with a corresponding beveled or concave lip it, having contact with the inner surface of the column of material, and exerting its greatest compressive action at .the final point of contact.

While the ordinary form of die accomplishes compression by means of converging surfaces, the further final sharper convergence of such surfaces at the point of emergence as provided for by the means stated is found in practice to give superior results in that it enables wetter and tenderer grades of material as well as the more plastie to be successfully worked, increases the rate of production and requires less power.

For products of rectangular or polygonal cross-section, as shown, an outward extension f, is designed to be provided for each side of the die, such extension being of segmental form and being extended outward farther in proportion the nearer the sides of the die approach the center, the arcuate margin or boundary of such extension extending from corner to corner of the die. The concave lip in such cases of course conforms to the marginal are but is designed to be, for perfection of work, slightly more extended in depth or prominence at the corners, gradually diminishing toward the center as hereinbefore indicated, thereby pro- .viding greater compression of the plastic material immediately at the angular portions thereof, while at the same time releasing such angular portions before releasing the corresponding transverse portions of the column. The greater depth or prominence of the lip at the corners of the die also compensates for the concavity that would otherwise be produced by such extension of the die. It is found in practice that the width of such extension should approximate a distance equal to one third of its length or distance from corner to corner. For tubular forms other than circular, the core for formmg the inner surface is likewise provided with corresponding extensions and beveled or preferably concave lips, as shown in Figs.

9, 10, and 11 of the drawings.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new an'd desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A die for shaping the product of a column forming machine for working. clay and the like, consisting of a plate having an aperture provided with converging side walls and an inward extending endless marginal lip of comparatively slight extent entirely surrounding said aperture and having concave walls of a comparatively sharp convergence greater than that of the side walls of said aperture and gradually merging thereinto and acting to finally and sharply compress the product of the machine just before it emerges from the die.

2. In a column forming machine for working clay and the like, having uninterrupted continuously con-verging clay compressing walls, a die consisting of a plate having an aperture provided with eonverging side walls in line with and forming continuations of the clay compressing walls of the machine, and an inward extending end= less marginal lip of comparative slightek tent and prominence entirely surrounding said aperture and having concave walls of comparatively sharp convergence, greater than that of the side walls of said aperture and merging thereinto, said lip acting to finally and sharply compress the product of the machine to a slight extent just before it emerges from the die.

3..A die for shaping the product of a column forming machine for working clay and the like, consisting of a plate having a polygonal aperture provided with converging side walls and segment-shaped extensions provided with converging walls in line with and forming continuations of the side walls of said aperture, and an inward extending endless marginal lip entirely surrounding said aperture, said lip having inner walls of a convergence greater than that of the walls of said aperture and being of greater depth and prominence and having an increased inward projection from the centers of said segmental extensions toward the corners of said aperture.

4. A die for shaping the product of a column-forming machine for working clay and the like, consisting of a plate having a polygonalopening having converging side walls and segment-shaped extensions corresponding to the sides of said opening and provided with'converging walls in line with and forming eontinuations of said side walls of the opening, and an inward projecting endless marginal li'p entirely surrounding the opening of the die, said lip having inner walls of a convergence greater than that ward projection from the center of the segl mental extensions toward the corners of the 10 die open ng.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in presence of two witnesses. I

JAMES A. DUNNiNG.

Witnesses S. C. HILL, STUART HILDER. 

